PICKLES’ BLUFF STEWARDSHIP SUCCESSION

Today, Pickles’ Bluff is mint – ready for special visitors!

Updated: May 2016

The magnificent Pickles’ Bluff is the best place to share with tourist and visitors alike! The eastward views are exceptional, everything from Sidney, the North Shore Mountains, the Gulf & San Juan Islands, the Cascades, the Victoria area and the Olympic Mountains.

Since October 1990 (grade 10, age 16) I’ve continually cared for this sacred place. The bluff was covered in broom, much 7’ high old-growth. Further down, the lower shelves had decades of accumulated garbage (over 50 bags).

Initial broom removal was conducted in 1991-93 by me and a few Friends, and I spent the next two decades removing the regrowth to exhaust the bank of seeds. Today, new broom is likely deposited by the wind or birds. Of interest to future volunteers, broom as-young-as 3yrs/30” can produce seeds, so it’s absolutely essential to remove the baby broom monthly to exhaust and wipeout the generations. The eastern broom zone includes the entire bluff area and all meadows surrounding the LAUWELNEW Trail; please don’t allow broom to grow beyond 6”.

GARBAGE

Two types of garbage have been removed: new & old.

New garbage is within 45 days, usually some cans and plastic. But, from time to time huge parties produce considerable garbage, which takes several searches to remove everything. The summer of 2014 had three such parties, verse 2015 had none.

Old garbage seemed to date from the 1950s onwards. I’ve removed 50+ bags and from time to time an old bottle emerges thanks to a deer revealing where it was buried.

Either new or old, all garbage is removed upon discovery. Of interest to future volunteers, typically Pickles’ Bluff generates eight half-bags per year; imagine the accumulation if garbage wasn’t removed? The lower shelves need to be searched and continually cleaned to prevent accumulation.

SUCCESSION PLAN

Definitions for Pickles’ Bluff:

Debt = broom taller than 5” & garbage older than 40 days

Deficit = broom shorter than 5” & garbage newer than 40 days

Mint Condition = reaffirmed monthly, 100% broom & garbage free

It’s all about providing exceptional stewardship; the good news is: the hard work is done! Future volunteers will inherit a zero debt & deficit workload; broom and garbage removal can be done together, one hour per month forever.

Because Pickles’ Bluff is a high priority, in the event volunteers don’t emerge, I believe a Friends group or my descendants should contract the work. The value and worth of “broom & garbage free” is significant, much more than $1 per hour; suggest $200 annually / $2,000 per decade.

I believe a volunteer can be retained when they’re thanked and supported